The FCC Wants To Change The Standard For High Speed Internet To Something A Lot Faster

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. FCC on Wednesday
proposed raising the definition of the high-speed Internet to
downloads at 25 megabits per second (Mbps), a more than a
six-fold increase from the current standard.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal
would also require a minimum 3 Mbps upload speed to qualify as
broadband, according to a fact sheet shared with Reuters.

U.S. telecommunications law gives the FCC the authority to
regulate Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Verizon
Communications Inc, Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc as the agency
oversees the roll-out of broadband services to all Americans "in
a reasonable and timely fashion."

If the proposed changes are taken into account, the current
access to broadband is not meeting that standard, the document
showed, opening the door to potential FCC intervention.

Wheeler on Wednesday also circulated to fellow commissioners a
so-called "notice of inquiry" asking what actions the FCC could
take to accelerate broadband deployment.

The FCC currently defines broadband, or high-speed Internet, as 4
Mbps download speed and 1 Mbps upload speed, which Wheeler has
decried as too slow for the modern needs of U.S. consumers.

Consumers are increasingly using the Internet to stream music and
videos, make calls or use other services that demand faster
speeds. For instance, Netflix recommends a 5 Mbps Internet
connection speed to stream video in high definition.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh. Editing by Andre Grenon)

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